Those We Care For
by Dark'nLightAngel
Summary: Auron's been injured for Rikku's sake, and the blond is dead set that everyone's mad at her for it. At least, until a certain elder guardian decides to put it straight. Light Aurikku. Some angst, some sweetness. Maybe a bit OOC. R&R Oneshot!


So, here's another oneshot for my ever-growing collection. Maybe I'll attempt some Harry Potter ones here soon, or something. If I ever get around to brainstorming, that is. Anywayssss...This is a little angsty, as a warning. And any OOCness can be blamed...On my lack of recent play of FFX. Blame Dirge of Cerberus.

Alright, well, yeah. I've been getting into reading Aurikku. And let me tell you, I got addicted, so I thought I'd make a small. -stresses this word- Small. Attempt at writing some light stuff, so don't expect much, okie? Lemme know what you think!

Disclaimer: I dun own it.

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They were mad at her. They didn't have to say anything for her to know that they were mad at her. Rikku had messed up in the last battle with those fiends, badly, and Auron had been hurt.

Badly.

His ribs had taken the most damage, and Yuna had cured him as best she could. Cure and Cura could only heal so much, however, so Auron was still recovering. The old grump had refused for them to stop and rest any longer then necessary, insisting that he would be fine.

Yet, he wasn't doing so well during the battles. Kimahri took a lot more of the armored fiends, and Auron sat out of the fights more often then not. He refused to stop and rest until Tidus got so annoyed with the entire situation that he walked right up to Auron, and jabbed him in the ribs. Hard.

The reaction was almost immediate, the Auron's eye had widened impossibly, from a mix of both surprise and pain. A sharp intake of air was as close to a gasp as they would hear from the man. He didn't even get a chance to attempt to throw Tidus away before his legs buckled. This caused him to shift into a kneeling position, lest he collapse.

Rikku was fuming, however, "Hey! What was that for, Tidus, huh?! Can't you just leave poor Auron alone for once? He's been doing the best he can all day and you pay him back by causing him more pain?!" Stomping up to the blond boy, she jabbed him in the chest lightly, ignoring the looks of bewilderment she was receiving, "He's injured and you think the best way to convince him to stop and rest is to jab him in the worst of his injuries?!"

"Rikku, that's enough." Auron muttered, effectively cutting off the young Al Bhed's ranting. He hid his pain well as he, slowly, moved back up to a stand. Auron cast his gaze around the forest clearing before stating warily, "We'll stop early and rest here."

She couldn't believe it! Rikku had been trying to defend him and he had...He must be mad at her, too. Of course he would be, it was her fault he had been hurt in the first place. Still, though, it hurt to hear the three effectively scolding words come from the man's lips.

Hmphing quietly, Rikku ignored the stinging in her eyes. Turning away from the others, she muttered something about finding some firewood. That said, she stalked off, ignoring the glares that she was sure the others were sending after her.

Once Rikku was sure no one could see her, she let the tears fall. It wasn't her fault Aurrie had decided to jump in the way of that attack! If he hadn't, then he would be fine...If she had been paying more attention to her surroundings, then he would be fine. But he had been the one to choose to jump in front of the stupid Chimera!

"Cdibet pek sayhea rayt..." Sniffling, the blond reached up to wipe her face clear. Stooping down to pick up some random pieces of wood, she sighed. The others would probably be expecting her back soon.

"Well then, I think I'll change my mind about thanking you." The deep voice startled her so much that Rikku dropped all the wood gathered in her arms, squeaking and spinning around. Auron was leaning carefully against a nearby tree, his eye trained on her. Silently, he glanced down to the fallen wood before shaking his head and moving to gather it back up.

"Cunno...Ah! Cdub! Let me..." Stooping down, the young Al Bhed quickly started to gather the wood up into her arms again before he could as well. Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she muttered, "You should be resting..."

"And you shouldn't be out here on your own. It's dangerous." Was the gentle reply, Auron taking the wood from her arms as she stood up again. "Do not worry, I'll be fine. This should be enough wood, come on."

"I can carry it..." Rikku protested weakly, shuffling the dirt around with the tip of her boot when the red-clad male turned to look at her again. "I mean, I wanna help, ya'know?"

"If your arms are full, you will be incapable of fighting off any stray fiends." Was the amused reply, as he returned to his set path, "We both know I am incapable at the moment to be much help in a battle."

"You mean you...Think I can protect us both?" There was a moment of silence, before the man gave a grunt and nodded. This caused Rikku to squeal, clapping her hands, "Oh, Aurrie! Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui! I won't let you down!"

And she didn't. They had been attacked by two fiends on the way back. The youth had been so excited about Auron trusting her to protect him when he was disabled that she had jumped right into the task. Determined to keep her word, and impress the other.

They were fairly difficult battles, but Auron had encouraged her subtly. By the time they reached the camp, Rikku was glowing, despite the few cuts and bruises she had gained. She had also managed to steal some valuable items from both monsters, and earned a few spheres and some gil.

"Sweet Yevon, Rikku! What happened to you?! You're hurt!" Rikku shook her head, insisting it was only a few scratches, nothing a good potion couldn't cure. When Yuna insisted for her cousin to allow her to use a Cure spell to heal the wounds faster, Rikku turned to look at Auron for help. Yet, he only shook his head in amusement and moved to set up the fire.

Pouting at this, Rikku had no choice but to allow Yuna to heal the various wounds; And obediently downed a nasty-tasting Remedy in case of any unseen battle effects. Once she was declared free again, she rushed over to help with setting up the fire, handing Auron various pieces of wood as directed.

"Thank you." Again, the sounding of the deep, gruff voice startled her. But what he said startled her into dropping the piece of wood she had been about to hand him, the two watching it roll and almost hit the set up. Auron caught it just in time, as Wakka crossed his arms.

"Rikku, be more careful! You almost ruined all Sir Auron's hard work, ya?" The blitzer scolded, exchanging glances with Tidus. The younger just shrugged and continued preparing the food to cook for the night's dinner.

"Yes, Rikku, please be more careful." Lulu stated calmly from her place next to Tidus and Kimahri (who was helping prepare the food by cutting up things), waiting for her cue to light the wood.

"She's fine. And I do not need to be coddled." Boy, did Auron sound irritated. Sending his Trademark 'One-Eyed-Glare-Of-DOOM' at the two, he stood and stepped back a bit from the pit, towards Rikku. The girl looked more depressed then she had been after he had been injured on her account. "Lulu, the fire is ready to be lit. Rikku, come with me."

Oh no, he was mad at her, wasn't he?! She'd let him down, and now he was going to let her have it! Fidgeting, Rikku hesitated only long enough for Auron to send her a stern look. Which immediately had her up and running over to him. Then, she proceeded to follow him a bit away from the campsite, feeling uneasy the entire time.

"Relax, I'm not going to harm you or whatever your silly mind has managed to come up with." This seemed to startle her again, making her jump slightly, glaring at him. Though, it would've been more believable if the annoyance reached her eyes. "Something is bothering you."

That caught Rikku off guard, and she blinked at the statement. It wasn't that he had noticed she was upset that surprised her. But the underlying offer for her to talk about it. With him. Auron was offering to listen to her, the Al Bhed who never stopped talking in the first place. Well, until recently.

"Well..." Pushing the ground around with her toe, she tried to think about what she should do. This wasn't something that happened, well, _ever_. She could get it off her mind, do what she wanted to. Without the others thinking she didn't mean it. "I just..."

Sighing, Auron turned and started walking away, the blond thought for a moment that she had blew it, lost the chance. Until he stopped and sat down against a wide tree, silently patting the ground next to him in invitation. Immediately, Rikku realized he wasn't going to rush her, and ran over to sit next to him.

They sat in silence for some time, though it wasn't really awkward, and Rikku found herself leaned against the other comfortably. She had been surprised when he didn't push her away, merely shifted so she could be in a better position against him. Both were careful of his injuries, though, but neither said a thing. Auron was waiting patiently, and Rikku was thinking.

"Cunno." When she finally did speak, the blond had surprised herself with the single Al Bhed word. When the man simply opened his eye to look at her questioningly, she sighed and shifted away, fixing her gaze on her hands, "It's my fault you're injured. If I had been paying more attention..."

"This is what you've been moping over?" The disbelieving tone in the deep voice confused her, and she felt his leathered hand take a hold of her chin, and lift her head so that their gazes met. Frowning, Auron gently wiped a tear from under the girl's eye, "There is no reason for you to feel guilty, Rikku. It was my choice to take that hit."

"But the others..."

"Are doing nothing more then usual." The eldest Guardian cut her off, frowning further, "You are mistaking them being over-cautious with annoyance and mistrust. Much like a child may mistake concentration or frustration for anger."

Rikku shook her head, sniffling slightly, "But they seem so _mad_..."

"Only because you're tricking yourself into thinking they are." Auron paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. "No on is upset with or mad at you for that little accident. Except, perhaps, yourself."

_Perhaps,_ Rikku thought wistfully, reaching her hand up to place lightly over Auron's, which had moved to cup her cheek. _You're right, maybe I'm just seeing my own anger reflected off the others instead of what they're really feeling._

"Fro? Why did you jump in front of that attack?" She asked weakly, searching his stoic expression for any sign of an answer. "You're so much better in battle then I am, why allow yourself to be taken out in my place?"

Auron seemed to think on this for a moment, choosing his words carefully when he spoke. "The damage it did to me...Would have been far worse on you." A pause, before his single russet eye locked with her own, "That is something I could not bare to see."

Rikku wasn't sure if he simply meant that for any of them, because they were built smaller then he was, and took more damage. Or if he meant it just for her. She didn't understand the look he had given her the moment before. She also didn't know why she kissed him, or why he returned it. A quick, chaste kiss. She didn't pretend to mind when they stood, and returned to the camp as if it had never occurred.

But what she was sure of was that something changed between them. She did understand the feeling of something being lifted from her shoulders. What she did know, was that he cared about her more then he let on. And what she did pretend, was that she didn't notice the faintest hints of a blush hidden behind his cowl .

Rikku was glad, too, because now everything wasn't just okay. It was great.

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**_Al Bhed_ **-Translations-

_**Cdibet pek sayhea rayt**_. -Stupid big meanie head.-

_**Cunno... -**_Sorry...-

_**Cdub!**_ -Stop!-

_**Dryhg oui, dryhg oui, dryhg oui**__!_ -Thank you, thank you, thank you!-

_**Cunno**_. -Sorry.-

_**Fro**__?_ -Why?-

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There it is. I'm not quite as confident in this one as I would like to be, honestly. But, I put it up none-the-less. Review or I shall set the angry Chimera on you!

**Auron: **Angel...

**Dn'LAngel: **-pouts- Fine, I won't set an angry Chimera on you. But review anyways. Please?


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